Pubdate: Thu, 24 Nov 2005
Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers
Contact: http://209.115.237.105/kelowna/publish/include/letterToEditor.php
Website: http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531
Author: Chuck Poulsen
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?216 (CN Police)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?188 (Outlaw Bikers)

REVOLVING DOOR ON DOWNTOWN DRUG DEALERS

It's a never-ending job -- like washing dirty dishes.

RCMP did a cleanup of the downtown core Tuesday, arresting nine
alleged cocaine dealers and issuing arrest warrants for 12 more.

It was the second major sweep in the past four months. The two
projects have brought charges against 63 different people.

Three of those taken into custody Thursday, a woman and two men, had
been convicted and freed last summer. The woman received 75 days in
jail. One male had the charge dropped from trafficking to possession
and was fined $250. The third male was out on bail awaiting sentencing
in December.

"We continue to deal with the same people time and time again," an
exasperated Supt. Bill McKinnon said. "They continue to distribute
drugs in our community. We'll be back out there again. I don't think
that in any way, shape or form we have this solved."

McKinnon said the police are doing their job on enforcement.

"It's much more than the police," he said. "It's about everything in
the four pillars approach. It's about the judiciary taking a hard
stand. It's about having treatment for these people."

He said he wouldn't criticize anybody else, but "it makes it very
difficult when you don't have all four pillars in sync."

The arrests were made by a dozen local officers and out-of-town
undercover agents on loan to the Kelowna detachment. Some of those
arrested were carrying knives. The corner of Bertram Street and
Lawrence Avenue has been a hot spot for drug deals, as well as
prostitution.

McKinnon said the enhanced downtown enforcement, which was reduced at
the end of last summer, will now continue year-round.

"It's a burden for resources on this detachment that we have to have
that many officers who could be doing other things -- from auto theft
to grow operations to stolen property. We have a huge number of Crime
Stoppers tips, but we just don't have the capacity to deal with the
tips we are receiving.

"The people involved in this trafficking are also involved in the
secondary crimes, robberies, break and enters, property thefts and
auto thefts."

He said the downtown effort has been "one step ahead and a half-step
back.

"If you go down there tomorrow, you'll think we're winning," he said.
"I don't know where we will be two weeks from now. We thought we made
significant strides in July, but in recent weeks, we've taken a back
step again."

McKinnon said the cocaine is coming from the Coast and
Calgary.

"One thing we've experienced is that when we're doing the undercover
operations, we can't have the uniformed members in their faces," said
McKinnon. "So the complaints come rolling in from the business
community. 'Where are the police? We never see them.'

"So we deal with the criticism that we're not doing our job when I
know full well we're down there and doing our job, but I can't go
public with that at the time."

McKinnon said the recent arrests of Hells Angels in Kelowna have had
some impact.

"But there's always someone willing to take someone's spot, and that's
what we're dealing with now," he said. 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake